MONTCLAIR, N.J. After years of stagnation, Montclair’s Lackawanna Plaza is experiencing a new phase of revival, spearheaded by local developer Dave Placek and his firm, BDP Holdings. Once an iconic railway terminal, the plaza fell into disrepair after the 1980s closure of Lackawanna Station, when Bay Street Station became the town’s primary commuter hub. A brief stint as a shopping mall in the 1980s did little to maintain the property’s vitality, culminating in the 2015 closure of Pathmark, its grocery anchor.
“It started its demise shortly after it was built,” said Placek, who purchased the 7.5-acre site in 2021. “When Pathmark went out because of their parent company’s bankruptcy, that was kind of the final nail in the coffin.”
Placek, a Montclair resident, is determined to reenergize the space. His vision includes pop-up events, local eateries, a coworking space, murals, and a seven-day-a-week market offering produce sourced from local farmers. “I’m sick and tired of this place sitting empty,” Placek said. “The space is going to be dynamic. We think people are really craving new experiences post-COVID.”
Parking at Lackawanna is now pay-to-park, a change Placek attributes to liability and safety concerns. “We chose to charge for parking because insurance for vacant lots is difficult to obtain, and there were issues with crime,” he explained. Still, he emphasized that 60% of Montclair is within a 15-minute walk of Lackawanna Station, and that street parking and public transit options remain available.
“I’m sick and tired of this place sitting empty…It’s such a great location in the middle of our township. It deserves to be active.”
Dave Placek
Despite the momentum, the full redevelopment faces delays. Placek expects final approvals may not come until 2026 or later, citing ongoing litigation and the need for township hearings.
Opposition to the project, meanwhile, remains active. James Cotter, longtime Montclair resident and creator of “Radio Free Montclair,” said community concerns have persisted across redevelopment efforts, past and present. “I think what happened is that the community recoiled from just how ambitious it looked,” Cotter said. “There’s a group of residents who saw the project as way outside the scale of what Montclair could handle — in terms of infrastructure, traffic, and density.”
Affordability also continues to fuel debate. Although Placek’s plan allocates 20% of units for affordable housing and 10% for workforce housing, Cotter noted that many fear the remaining market-rate units could still raise rents town-wide. “People fall into three categories,” Cotter said. “There’s the ‘NIMBYs,’ the ‘YIMBYs,’ and the ‘MIMBYs’ — those who say, maybe in my backyard, if the conditions are just right.”
Placek acknowledges the uphill battle but remains undeterred. “Redevelopment’s hard,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be this hard to get through the process. But what I fear most is if nothing changes. Towns can die really fast if they stop evolving.”
“There’s a group of residents who saw the project as way outside the scale of what Montclair could handle — in terms of infrastructure, traffic, and density.”
James cotter
Until final redevelopment approvals are in place, Lackawanna Plaza will continue to serve the community with temporary activations, pop-up markets, food trucks, and evolving experiences designed to breathe new life into a long-underutilized space.